By: Abdullahi Babafila

Yesterday will go down in the history of geopolitics in Kwara Central Senatorial District as a day that reaffirms that politics has come of age in Kwara State.

With a voice so united and unshaken, party executives, elders, leaders and stakeholders rose up in unison to endorse the candidature of Mallam Saliu Mustapha, the Turaki of Ilorin Emirate, as their unity candidate for the Kwara Central Senatorial ticket in the APC.

The historic endorsement was done by the APC Local Government party Chairman, Comrade Habib Lawal at St. John Junior Secondary School, Maraba Area in the presence of almost all the executive members of the party in the local government and 11 ward chairmen with the exception of one.

The endorsement of the aspiration of Turaki from his homestead in Ilorin East is clearly a testament to the perceptive decision of Ilorin East to put its best foot forward in the 2023 election and also take its political destiny in its hands. The choice of Mallam Saliu Mustapha also shows the local government party leadership is clearly able to decide on the aspirant that best offers the chance to gain the opportunity it has always yearned for.

Having decided to go into the contest with a united front, the decision to endorse and pitch tent with Mallam Saliu Mustapha represents a desire to show direction early in the contest and give a signal to the larger party hierarchy in the senatorial district as to the desire of majority of Ilorin East APC stakeholders ahead of the primaries.

Aside the endorsement representing a clear victory for democracy judging by the collective and unified manner it was done; it also demonstrates the popular grassroot acceptance of Saliu Mustapha, something that shows greater political presence that is far beyond the nebulous media hype favoured by the other candidates in the race.

What is now left for the LGA and its stakeholders is to take the advocacy of their political aspirations to the trenches of the other local government areas. They've to meet and synergise with stakeholders from Ilorin West, Asa and their sister local government, Ilorin South, to ensure that the victory of Mustapha at the primaries and eventually at the general elections is total and unassailable.

It is also hoped that the other two contestants, particularly our brother from the same LGA with Mustapha, as as a man of peace that he is known to be, would respect the open and undisguised wishes of his party leaders in his Ilorin East local government.

No matter the amount of temptations to do otherwise by hangers-on and bootlickers, he should listen only to his inner mind and respect what is clearly a collective decision of his people.

This is congratulating the amiable Turaki and Ilorin East in advance.